Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles DBM for a hunting rifle: Yes or No

I've seen mags fall out. I've seen a client lose his magazine on a hunt, then have to backtrack to try and find it. I've seen a guy leave his mag at camp, and have to hunt the day with an impromptu single shot. I've seen detachable magazines not fully seat and have a bolt override when a round was trying to be chambered.

Anytime you introduce one more piece of crap that can fall off your rifle, there's always a chance that it will fall out, possibly at a critical time.

Detachable mags don't belong on hunting rifles.

I see the unloading by cycling subject brought up, which brings up a question....Do you people unload your rifles every day? I understand if one lives in or hunts an area that would require an unloaded rifle when being transported...but otherwise, why?

My rifle magazines pretty much stay loaded unless they are flying commercial, unloaded through the shooting process, or taken apart for a bedding job or what have you.

I had a Sako with a DBM. On the first hunt with it the magazine malfunctioned every time I inserted it into the rifle by feeding all rounds into the action at once. It turned my 2 grand rifle into a single shot. I was so flustered by the end of the trip I traded it in immediately upon returning home and ordered a custom Mark Bansner rifle with a blind magazine and have never looked back.

I have more than a few rifles that have had their belly's loaded for years.

You have to be careful with DBM's, especially in bear country. You never know when a bear might sneak up on you and pop the mag out of your gun and then attack you.


I like them since I don't live in bear country. Nice to have a loaded extra mag in my pocket for a fast reload if things don't go my way.

Remmy 700's in .300 win mag, .280 Rem, .243 win fired hundreds of rounds and been carried all over 5 states with nary a hitch. Its a snap to unload and keep the mag in my fanny pack or back pack.

I like an easy to unload rifle with kids in the truck. They know better than to touch guns with out permission BUT they are still kids.
When its only me hunting, shells never leave the belly.

I never cared for DBMs and never owned one until my first Cooper Excaliber. It has a very flush fitting magazine and seems to have a good latch system. I kind of like the idea of having another loaded magazine ready in my pocket.

Blind magazine is my preference.

DBM's are just one more thing that can go wrong IMHO.

Dad gave me a Ruger American .30-06 and I'll hunt elk with it this year. Extra mags are $35 or thereabouts so I'll not be buying one. I will have a second rifle, though.

I tend to think so. In addition, with the single stack (like Rancho mentioned) they aren't a bad idea for getting the WSM's in particular to feed more reliably. (or any other chambering for that matter)

They're only my bag in the 7600's. And only because there isn't an alternative.

Maybe I have had the misfortune to have had a number of idiots for guests and/or hunting partners over the years. However, I have seen enough ways for DBM rifles to end up being used as single shots that I shy away from them. If the loaded magazine hits the ground, you do hear them. Where I hunt, that usually means that the feed lips have been bent or that you have to make a few adjustments with a rock in order to reinsert them.

I have seen them left at home, in camp, in the pickup, jeep or ATV/UTV, in the daypack that was carried yesterday, in a buddy's coat pocket, and (probably) in a bar in Montana. I don't begrudge anyone who chooses to use them, but I choose not to.

No...period ended as it's just one more thing to lose.

I'll pass and them also. I do just fine without them.

I would rather not have one for all the previously stated reasons.

DBM is just the same as BDL bottom metal to me.. Except the cartridges come out in a nifty holder instead of separately when you hit the latch.

Not an issue for me..

I have a mix of all them and like all 3 styles. Didn't think I would care for the DM system till I put together a 7 WSM on a worked over Rem S/A this summer with Seekins BM. Can't say anything bad about it and have come to like it. Like Rancho said it feeds the WSM cases like greased owl schit out of the single stack mag.

Think Prairie Goat is spot on to them becoming more popular because of the long, high BC bullets and the constraints of factory mag well lengths. If I was building something that would benefit from from the DM system for those reasons, I wouldn't hesitate to use another one on a hunting rifle.

I'm really OCD on attention to detail when it comes to any of my hunting schit. The issue of a left behind mag or a mag that has fallen out hasn't been an issue yet...... But I'm not as old and forgetful as some may be here........

Are you saying that using a DBM will yield longer useable magazine length for a rifle with a regular box (no spacer)?

Not quite the same for me. If bottom metal opens or DBM falls out, a chambered shell (if any) is all that is left in the gun. The difference is it is easy to forget or lose a DBM whereas the bottom metal flapping about sticks out like a sore thumb, is still attached to the rifle and allows the situation to be easily rectified.

Not the case with a DBM that is on the ground somewhere between where you stand and the truck a couple miles back or maybe back at camp or ...

You have to hit the latch with both. They don't magically fall out on their own..

This is sorta sounding like the CRF arguments, IMO..

That is true, but once the DBM is out it can easily be left behind - not so with the floorplate. A DBM can also come out unnoticed and then be lost. An unlatched floorplate is pretty hard to miss and easily rectified.

Can't speak for all DBM's but the one on my Ruger American and SIL's Savage come out much easier than tripping the latch on any of my floorplates.

Not that it makes all that much difference to me. As noted above, I plan to hunt with the Ruger American this fall. If I thought the chances of DBM problems costing me a shot opportunity were high the American would stay home. I do think, though, they are significantly higher than with my floorplate rifles, which is one reason why I'll take a backup (as I always do anyway).

Worst case is I'd end up with a single-shot rifle. Not much different than my #1 in that respect.